Concordia Seminary, St. Louis received seven awards from the Associated Church Press (ACP) during the organization’s recent annual awards banquet in St. Louis.

The ACP, the nation’s oldest interdenominational religious press association, presented the awards April 22 during its 100th anniversary conference. The awards were given in recognition of exceptional content produced by Concordia Journal and Concordia Seminary magazine, and by the Communications/Creative Services department in 2015.

Concordia Journal, the Seminary’s quarterly theological journal, received a third place Honorable Mention in the category of “Best in Class” for print journals. Named on the award are Executive Editor Dr. Charles Arand, Editor Rev. Travis Scholl, Assistant Editor Melanie Appelbaum and Graphic Designer Michelle Meier.

A first place Award of Excellence went to Concordia Journal in the “Theological or Scholarly Article (All Media)” category for Dr. Leopoldo Sánchez M.’s article, “Can Anything Good Come Out of ___________? Come and See!: Faithful Witness in Marginality and Hospitality.”

“Theology that speaks (and listens) to church and world is always a vital conversation, never ivory tower,” Scholl said. “Professor Sanchez’s article, and Concordia Seminary publications as a whole, speak to that fact. It is a joy to take part in the conversation.”

Concordia Seminary magazine received three awards that included:

• A first place Award of Excellence in the category of “Photography (Photo Spread w/Article or Cutline: Magazine/Journal)” for “First Look” in the fall 2015 issue by photographer Tony Carosella for his photo of a servant event during orientation. Also named on the award are Meier, designer, and Jayna Rollings, art director.
• A first place Award of Excellence in the category of “Photography (Photo Spread w/Article or Cutline: Magazine/Journal)” for “First Look” in the summer 2015 issue by photographer Mark Polege for his photo outside of the chapel on Call Day. Also named on the award are Meier, designer, and Jayna Rollings, art director.
• A second place Award of Merit for the fall 2015 issue, “God’s Word is Living and Active,” in the “Reporting and Writing (Theme Issue, Section or Series: Magazine)” category. Named on the award are Executive Editor Jeff Kloha, Managing Editor Vicki Biggs, Editor Melanie Ave, Art Director Jayna Rollings and Designer Michelle Meier.

The Seminary received two additional awards:

• A second place Award of Merit for the Generations Campaign launch in September 2015. Named on the award are Biggs, senior vice president of Seminary advancement; Ave, communications manager; Rollings, creative services manager; Meier, graphic designer; Polege, Web developer; Jill Gray, photographer; Henning Communications, design firm; and Lifetime Media, video production.
• A second place Award of Merit to Ave and Communications Specialist Jackie Parker for the press release, “Kaldi’s Coffee Creates Special Blend for Concordia Seminary,” in the “Public Relations/Marketing (Traditional News Release)” category.

“We are thrilled and humbled at this recognition,” Biggs said. “God has blessed us with an outstanding team, whose dedication to the mission of Concordia Seminary is evidenced by their good work as recognized by the ACP.”

About Concordia Seminary
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis provides Gospel-centered graduate-level theological education for pastors, missionaries, deaconesses, scholars and other leaders in the name of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). To learn more, visit www.csl.edu.